Hogansburg Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Contraband Cigarettes

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Acting U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that Ian Tarbell, 44, of Hogansburg, NY, pleaded guilty to possession of contraband cigarettes before U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Arcara. The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell T. Ippolito, Jr., who is handling the case, stated that the defendant was arrested on February 18, 2016, in Pembroke, NY, following a traffic stop by the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office. Tarbell was driving a truck that was pulling a trailer loaded with untaxed and unstamped cigarettes. In total, the defendant was transporting more than 900,000 unstamped and untaxed cigarettes.

The plea is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Ashan Benedict; the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of William A. Sheron, Jr.; and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, under the direction of Commissioner Thomas Mattox.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 23, 2017, at 1:00 p.m. before Judge Arcara.